Education in Emergencies

Millions of children around the world are caught in the wars of adults.  Trapped in cycles of poverty and conflict, children usually suffer the most.

In the upheaval of fleeing the conflict, children can become separated from their families or orphaned from the violence.  And as schools close, children may be recruited and forced to fight as child soldiers and are more vulnerable to sexual abuse and exploitation.

Providing education in emergencies not only ensures that children realize their right to education, it provides them with a sense of hope and normalcy when their lives have been disrupted.  Ensuring education in emergencies also promotes children’s psychological and social well-being and cognitive development, and lessens the risk that they will be recruited into dangerous activities.

Providing quality education in emergencies is among the best ways to mitigate the impact of conflict on children, while building hope for the future.

The Inter-Agency Network on Education in Emergencies (INEE) has issued important recommendations on ensuring that children living in dangerous, difficult or extreme circumstances have access to good quality education.

Key Facts

  1. Over half – nearly 40 million – of the world’s out-of-school children live in conflict-affected or fragile states.
  2. Within conflict-affected or fragile states, one out of every three children is not in school.
  3. Seven of the 10 countries with the highest percentages of out-of-school children worldwide are in conflict-affected or fragile states – Somalia, Liberia, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Sudan, Haiti and the DRC.
  4. Nigeria, Pakistan and the DRC together account for 20.2 million out of school children – nearly 30% of the out-of school children worldwide.


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